Author:Hu Ke-Min

Size:Length:206 x Width:73 (cm)

Size description：122×61 (206×73)

Introduction：Hu Ke-Min (1909-1991), also known by the pseudonym Yangbixuan Zhu, was a renowned traditional Chinese painter from Wujin, Jiangsu Province. In 1926, he attended the Shanghai Fine Arts School and then enrolled in its Research Institute. He returned home in 1929 to teach, participated in a charity art exhibition for disaster relief, and later served at the Jianqiao Central Aviation School and led cultural publicity in Chengdu during the anti-Japanese war. In 1949, after the military went to Taiwan, he served in the Air Force General Political Warfare Department and at the same time in the Art Department of the Political Work Cadre School. He was appointed a member of the Art Education Committee of the Ministry of Education, a researcher at the Museum of History, and a professor at the National Art School and the Chinese Culture University. He co-founded the "Ba Peng (Eight Friends) Painting Association" with fellow artists. In 1931 he was honored at the National Painting Exhibition of the West Lake Expo. He held solo exhibitions in Wujin Park and an exhibition of aerial paintings to celebrate the victory of the anti-Japanese war. After coming to Taiwan, he participated in anti-communist art exhibitions and held solo exhibitions at Zhongshan Hall, the Taiwan Art Museum and the Museum of History. In 1960, he held an exhibition of Dunhuang wall paintings in the China Pavilion of the New York World's Fair. He served as the executive director of the Republic of China Painting Society and received the Golden Knight Award and Chinese Academician. He also published many collections of paintings.

While studying at the Shanghai Fine Arts School, Hu focused mainly on traditional Chinese painting with elective courses in Western painting. Exposed to modern art education, he was mentored by Huang Bin-Hong, Le Zhu-Shan, Pan Tian-Shou, He Tian-Jian, and sought advice from Wu Chang-Shuo, reforming tradition through the method of "infusing the West to enrich China". In 1956, commissioned by the National Museum of History, he spent over a year meticulously copying 101 Dunhuang murals from black-and-white photographs. He excelled in painting landscapes of all four seasons, flowers, historical facts and plein air seascapes, with a painting style that is solid, stable, detailed and warm. Yao Meng-Gu praised his painting, saying, "It is ancient, beautiful and serene, with no overbearing and powdery air.

This work uses plein air techniques to depict the ancient trees in Alishan. The method of low-angle perspective emphasizes the vivid appearance of the majestic sacred trees standing tall against the cold; the adjacent trees, distant mountains, and small paths are painted with traditional brush and ink methods, creating an interesting contrast. 

Accession Number:PT06901200